Murders of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner

Kylen Schulte (born September 5, 1996) and Crystal Turner (born December 30, 1982) were a married American couple who were found dead on August 18, 2021, near their campsite in the La Sal Mountains outside Moab, Utah. Both women had been shot; investigators determined they had likely died around August 13, 2021, the last time they were seen alive. The couple, who had married on April 20, 2021, frequently camped together with their pet rabbit, Ruth.

Schulte and Turner were last seen the night of August 13, 2021, at a bar in Moab around 9:30 p.m. Witnesses said the couple appeared devoted to one another and that no one had followed them out of the bar. After three days without contact, a local friend received a call from Schulte's father, who lived in Montana, saying the couple had relocated their campsite because they were frightened of a "creeper dude" they had encountered. The friend searched the La Sal Mountains area on August 18, 2021, and discovered Schulte's remains while on the phone with Schulte's father; police were called, and Turner's remains were found nearby shortly after. Both women were found undressed from the waist down in a creek near the campsite, with multiple gunshot wounds to their backs, sides, or chests.

At the scene, police found the couple's Kia Sorento, a tent, and long-term camping supplies, along with a makeshift shelter for their rabbit. A search warrant was also obtained for a 1987 Ford Econoline van left in a nearby parking lot, which contained personal documents and a Bible. An affidavit released in October 2021 described a cell-tower search near the campsite covering the period between August 13 and 15, 2021, focused on phones within a 2-mile radius of the crime scene.

In January 2022, investigators announced a person of interest, who was cleared the following month. In March 2022, a private investigator working with Schulte's father said law enforcement had an audio recording from near the crime scene containing what he described as gunshots and screams; police confirmed the recording's existence and that gunshots could be heard, but did not confirm screams, and confirmed the date—August 14, 2021—without disclosing the time.

In May 2022, police identified a likely suspect, Adam Pinkusiewicz, who had reportedly left the state after the killings and died by suicide. He reportedly confessed to another person, providing details that had not been publicly disclosed, and Schulte's father said police found corroborating evidence at the crime scene. A motive was not established. In December 2022, the case was formally closed with Pinkusiewicz cited as the murderer.

The investigation drew public attention partly because, two days before the couple was reported missing, Moab police had stopped Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito after a bystander reported Laundrie slapping Petito outside the Moonflower Community Cooperative, where Schulte worked. Speculation about a connection between the two cases circulated, but law enforcement ruled out any link. The Grand County Sheriff's Office's initial statement that there was "no current danger to the public" drew skepticism from friends of the couple, who believed it may have been intended to protect local tourism.